There are only three kinds of people living in the world today.

1. 1. Israelites
      • (Natural Israel)
   2. Gentiles
      • (Outside of Israel)
   3. Believers
      • (Spiritual Israel)

Natural Israelites are the only true bloodline descendants of Abraham through Isaac, whom God has established His covenant with (Genesis 17:19), including true converts to Judaism who are observant and keep the original commandments of God. 

These are counted as descendant Israelites in whom all Israel shall be saved at the Lord’s return if they will prove themselves to be His sheep when the Lord meets them face to face in the wilderness during the latter part of the tribulation (Ezek 20:33-38, Zech 13:8-9). 

But not those that say they are Jews but are not, but lie and are of the synagogue of Satan (Revelations 2:9, 3:9).  Because they rejected Christ, blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles may come in during the tribulation.  Then at Christ’s return, shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob to fulfill His covenant with them, when He shall take away their sins (Romans 11:25-27).

Gentiles are non-Israelites who either don’t believe in Jesus, believe the wrong thing or merely profess to believe but really don’t.  They profess God but do not possess Him.  They confess God with their mouth but their heart is far from Him (Matt 15:8).  This includes all atheists (Psalm 14:1, 53:1, Romans 1:18-32).

Believers are all those who have repented of their sins, confessed them to God and asked forgiveness and believe that Jesus sacrifice paid for their sins by His own blood, that He died, was buried and raised from the dead, have accepted Him as Lord and Savior, have counted the cost and committed to follow Him forever (Rom 10:9).  They are born again or born from above (John 3:3, 3:5)

When Israelites and Gentiles become born from above, then they too will be classified with the believers and become eligible for:

1. 1. Rapture
      • Being caught up to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thes 4:16-17, 1 Cor 15:52)
   2. First resurrection
      • Material resurrection (Revelation 20:6) after spiritual resurrection being born from above
   3. Glorified body
      • Changed from corruption to incorruption (1 Cor 15:53), sown in dishonor, raised in glory, sown in weakness, raised in power, sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body (1 Cor 15:43-45)

Their only other chance for survival and to be able to live as a natural man or woman in the millennium, and to escape hell, is to be found a sheep at the Lord’s return and not a goat (Matt 25:31-46).

The rapture is not a term used in scripture but the words “caught up to meet Him in the air” most definitely are (1 Thes 4:17).  Rapture is just a simplified term that means all of that in one word.  At that time Christ will descend but He will not set foot on the earth.  He will meet the saints in the air and take them home to be with Him forever. 

No one knows the day nor the hour this will happen.  Not the angels.  Not even Jesus.  Only the Father (Mark 13:32-37, Matt 24:42).  But that day will come as a thief in the night (1 Thes 5:2).

At the sound of a shout with the voice of an archangel, and the sound of the trumpet of God, the dead in Christ will rise first and immediately receive their glorified body (1 Thes 4:16).  But they will not precede the living saints to go to meet the Lord in the air. 

At the sound of the last trumpet, those saints who are alive will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, into their glorified body (1 Cor 15:52-53).  Together we will rise to meet the Lord in the air.  And so shall we be with the Lord forever (1 Thess 4:17). 

It was a revelation given to Paul for the church.  Those who argue with the concept of the rapture, or claim it already happened, or that we are already in it, cannot explain these scriptures nor proffer any others to contradict it.  We will let them be (1 Cor 14:38).

Once the believers are caught up to be with the Lord, the hinderer of lawlessness, which is the church, will have been taken out of the way so that the antichrist can be revealed (2 Thes 2:7).  This hinderer is not the Holy Spirit as some believe for the Spirit abides forever (John 14:16) to also help the newborn Saints during the tribulation.

Those unbelieving Israelites and Gentiles who are left behind, as well as the newly converted saints after the rapture, will have no choice but to go through the 7 year period of tribulation (Daniel’s seventieth week prophesied in Daniel 9:27).  At first, it will be peace on earth for 3 1/2 years until antichrist turns the tables and demands to be worshiped in the new temple. Then it will be turned into a literal hell on earth (Matt 24:15, Mark 13:14, Daniel 9:26, 2Th. 2:4; Rev 13; 14:9-11; 15:2-4; 16:10; 20:4-6).

Those who become new believers during the tribulation, will also qualify for all of the benefits of the saints.  However, they will be beheaded for their witness of Jesus (Rev 20:4).  This is the cost of becoming a believer during the tribulation and not bowing to antichrist or taking his mark upon their hand or upon their forehead.

Gentiles who survive the tribulation, will stand before Christ and be separated as either a sheep or a goat.  They will be determined a sheep if they have done unto the least of the Lord’s brethren as unto Him.  Those who did not, will be judged a goat and be commanded to depart from Him and into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:31-46).  The sheep will be allowed to enter the kingdom and live as natural men and women in the millennium.  They will not have a glorified body which is reserved for the saints.

On that day, which always refers to the day of Christ’s return, the Lord will extend His hand a second time (the first time was the return of the Israelites from exile to Babylon) to recover the remnant of His people from all the lands He lists in Isaiah 11:11.  He will gather the exiles of Israel; He will collect the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth (Isaiah 11:12-13). 

God will meet them face to face in the wilderness during the last half of the tribulation just as He met them in the wilderness when they came out of Egypt.  There they will either pass under the Shepherd’s rod as one of His sheep and enter into the kingdom as natural men and women in their new Nation of Israel with David as their king and Jesus as their Messiah, or they will choose to be a rebel and be cast out of the kingdom and into the fire just like the gentile goats. 

Even though they will meet the Lord face to face in the wilderness during the tribulation, yet still two thirds of them will choose to be rebels, reject Him and be cast out (Ezek 20:33-38, 37:12-14, Zech 13:8-9).

The one third that accept Him, He will bring through the fire and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried and they shall call on His name, and He will answer them.  He will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God (Ezek 13:9).  These will enter the new Nation of Israel as natural men to be ruled over by King David.

Only those who of their own accord chose to believe before the Lord’s return to earth, will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, be part of the first resurrection, have a glorified body, will accompany Him at His second coming and will rule and reign with Him for all of eternity (Rev 19:14, Jude 1:14-15, 2 Tim 2:12).  Over them the second death will no power.  They will have a home in heaven and in Jerusalem.

In that day, Satan will then be bound with a long chain and be cast into the bottomless pit which will then be sealed for a thousand years.  Towards the end of the thousand years he must be set free again for a short time so that all those who rebel against the Lord Jesus’ reign may choose to join him in battle and final rebellion against the Lord (Rev 20:1-3).  God the Father Himself will descend and consume them by fire in one fell swoop and they will be no more (Rev 20:7-9).

And so all rebellion will be put down forever.  And the devil that deceived them will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever (Rev 20:10).  And death and hell will be cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire (Rev 20:14-15).

Jesus will then turn over the kingdom to His Father (1 Cor15:24) and when all things have been subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all (1 Cor 15:28).

God will then create a new heaven and a new earth and the Father Himself will descend from heaven with the New Jerusalem adorned as a bride and be with His creation forevermore (Rev 21:1-3).

And we all lived happily ever after.

Additional reading:

• What Must I Do To Be Saved?
• THE END OF JUDAISM
• ANTI-SEMITIC? SERIOUSLY?

Franciscus M. Dartee

Grow in Faith | Walk in Power

 

 All rights reserved.  ©  2021

» If you enjoyed this, don’t forget to like, comment and share!  If this post has ministered to you and you would like to receive regular updates, please be sure to click on the follow button at the bottom of this page.